Do you type as fast as you can? If so, you’re not alone. A recent study found that the average person types at a rate of 88 words per minute. That’s pretty fast! But how do you measure your typing speed? There are a few ways to do it, but the most common is to use a typing test. You can find one online or at your local library. If you want to improve your typing speed, there are a few things you can do. First, practice regularly. Typing is an important skill, and if you don’t use it, it will atrophy. Second, make sure your keyboard is in good condition. If the keys are sticky or don’t work properly, it will slow down your typing speed. Finally, use proper spelling and grammar when writing emails and text messages – this will also help improve your typing speed. ..
Earlier this week we asked you to weigh in with how fast you type and what tips or tricks you could share to help your fellow readers. Now we’re back to highlight your stats and tips.
The ability to type quickly and accurately is a boon to computer work regardless of what kind of work you’re doing on the computer. Hundreds of you responded to this week’s Ask the Reader post and as a result we’ve got quite a spread of typing speeds and even types of keyboards used.
The average typing speed of a How-To Geek reader is significantly above average. Most casual typists average around 30-35WPM, the average HTG reader types at 71WPM—a very respectable speed for a proficient touch typist.
Tommy2rs poetically laid claim to being the slowest typist in our sample pool:
Ah the old hunt and peck routine. At one of my old jobs we’d often prank hunt-and-peck coworkers by popping the keys off their keyboards and shifting them around.
I’ll get back to you on my speed next week after I finish the test.
Gypsy highlights how social interaction can increase typing speed:
I too radically increased my typing speed thanks to the internet. I learned how to type in a formal setting but I didn’t become a lightening-fast typist until I discovered IRC and online discussions. You need to type quick if you want to participate!
Having to type a lot of papers as a History/Sociology Major.. but really, I lay the cause on SC2 and mainly WoW. Having to communicate sometimes quickly and effectively about a lot of information with lots of people between multiple channels and conversations in addition to also using hotkeys for abilities, really boosted my finger speed and accuracy.
We expected at least a few Dvorak users to make an appearance and weren’t disappointed. Aaron shares:
What we were surprised by was the appearance of another keyboard layout: Colemak. Josh B. writes:
It turns out that Colemak, like Dvorak, is an alternative keyboard layout that dates from the 19th century intended to increase typing efficiency. If you hit up the Colemak site you can grab a copy for your computer and your smartphone.
Looking for more tips and tricks? Hit up the original comment thread!
